Schalke boss Di Matteo resigns

Gelsenkirchen, Germany (SportsNetwork.com) - FC Schalke manager Roberto Di Matteo confirmed on Tuesday he has resigned his position at the Bundesliga club.

Di Matteo, 44, the former Chelsea boss, took over at Schalke in October 2014 and managed to guide the club from 11th all the way to third place. But after a loss to Hamburg on the final day of the season, the club ended the campaign with just two wins from their final 10 fixtures.

Schalke finished the season in sixth place, meaning a berth in the Europa League next season.

"I offered a plan for a possible successful future and what the conditions for that would need to be," said Di Matteo, who had two years left in his contract. "It became clear that the club had a different emphasis. This is why I decided to resign from my position as head coach."

The Italian led Chelsea to the 2012 Champions League title, but was replaced by Rafa Benitez after just eight months in charge in west London.